Spectacular production of Lohengrin causes mixed reactions in Passau!

Spectacular production of Lohengrin causes mixed reactions in Passau!

In Passau, Richard Wagner's opera “Lohengrin” caused a lot of conversation at the Castle Festival. Director Thomas Ecker staged the production on the Veste Oberhaus with a historical and at the same time futuristic look. If you look at the impressive backdrop with a view over the city, you could immediately go into raptures. But first impressions are often misleading because the performance brought with it some challenges. How BR Classic reports, Ecker, who has already attended around 75 performances of this opera, sought the difficult balance between tradition and modernity.

The action of “Lohengrin” takes place during a time of power vacuum in Brabant. Elsa stands before a divine court, accused by Ortrud, who claims that Elsa murdered her brother Gottfried. The accusation is supported by Friedrich von Telramund, but a protective dream figure, the Swan Knight, appears and stands between injustice and innocence. The legend, which is one of Wagner's most successful works, describes Lohengrin, who appears as a charismatic leader and only reveals himself when Elsa no longer asks him his name. But at the wedding party she ultimately asks exactly this question and triggers fate.

Staging and performance

The set and costumes were rather traditional and somewhat staid, which did not create the necessary dynamism. The Staging There was certainly a lack of lively interaction between the soloists. A static choir that hardly showed any movement and the actors who were sometimes uninspired in their roles did not contribute to increasing the tension. Kristian Benedikt had particular problems in the lead role of Lohengrin, who had a bad day, and Iryna Zhytynska as Ortrud, who sang well but struggled with the text. The other actors such as Philipp Mayer (King Heinrich), Yitian Luan (Elsa) and Kyung Chun Kim (Telramund) showed acceptable performances, but the acting depth remained desired.

Conductor Basil H.E. Coleman made the score seem wooden, which made the musical implementation seem rather weak. Regardless of these shortcomings, the atmosphere of the castle festival in Passau was positively highlighted by the central location and the magnificent view over the Lower Bavarian landscape. This impressive backdrop allowed for a great deal of artistic freedom, which, however, was only used to a limited extent.

A conclusion that makes you think

Overall, it appears that the production of “Lohengrin” in Passau appears in an ambiguous light. Director Thomas Ecker presented a bold concept, but the result fell short of its potential. Perhaps in the future the Castle Festival will find a better way to bring together old and new. Richard Wagner certainly might have recognized the inequality of the modern world in his music; The question remains whether this production conveyed this successfully. The premiere of the opera took place in Weimar in 1850 under the direction of Franz Liszt and has lost none of its importance since then.